First Dance
by SirDigby
Summary: Anna tries convincing Elsa to let her teach her how to dance. When Elsa confesses she doesn't know how, Anna gives her a close and intimate lesson. Special thanks to Japple Jacks and Silvermoonlight GJ! Cover by MitsouParker at mitsouparker(dot) deviantart(dot)com (used with permission)


"Anna, you _**know**_ I don't dance," Elsa protested softly.

"Oh don't be a spoilsport" Anna yelled from behind the folding screen. "It'll be fun!"

"It's not, that, I just…" Elsa started explaining, but was cut off by Anna popping her head from behind the screen.

"Garter, yes or no?" the head of Anna asked, and Elsa opened her mouth to reply but before a single syllable left her mouth Anna already interrupted again.

"It's a wedding, _**of course**_ I should wear the garter!" and her head disappeared from behind the folding screen again.

Elsa's mouth was still open from trying to answer earlier, and she just stared at the space in front of her in confusion, suddenly remembering she was about to say something to her sister about how being Queen meant having to set herself apart, but before she could finish that thought, Anna was already going on again:

"It will be fun!" she protested, all the while throwing bits of clothing onto the screen, completely missing it and just having it fall and hang on random objects in the dressing room. "Besides, you know how much people love it when you join in their fun."

Elsa considered it for a moment. Anna was of course referring to their monthly ice-skating party, which Elsa did enjoy quite a bit. She was about to agree with her, but that moment of pause she took to think about it was already enough for Anna to keep going.

"Besides, it's _**my**_ wedding!" Anna was obviously struggling with whatever it was she was trying to put on, as her words were mixed with grunting and clenched teeth. "And what the bride wants, the bride gets!"

Else smiled._ As if she doesn't always get her way anyway_, she thought to herself.

"Well," she hesitated, but Anna cut her off yet again.

"Besides, isn't it traditional that the king (or queen) should have the first dance?" Anna's train of thought was unstoppable. "Ooh, maybe a _Minuet_? Or a _Polonaise_!"

"Anna, I really think your first dance should be with Kristoff," by now Elsa was blushing and smiling as she finally got a word in.

"What?" Anna's head popped out again. "Oh, right, of course!" the thought didn't even cross her mind. "But don't you - as queen, get to have… What's it called? '_Droit du seigneur'_?"

"**Anna**!" Elsa exclaimed uncomfortably, turning unusually red. "That's something completely different!"

"I really should catch up on my French" Anna didn't seem to even realize what it was she just suggested.

"But Anna - it's not that," Elsa started before her sister could interrupt again. "I haven't really danced, since… well…" she paused, recalling.

* * *

When Elsa was still a child, long before her powers started getting out of hand, their father would often let her stand barefoot on his boots as he danced with her, holding her tiny hands in a tight and safe grip. She was still very little and would have a hard time holding on at times, so she would just climb into his arms and let him dance with her held tight. She'd then just lay her head on his shoulder, and feel the warmth of his embrace, never wanting to let go. Elsa was always more of a daddy's girl than Anna was.

Even several years later, after things started getting really bad, Elsa always turned to their father for comfort. He would hold her when she was feeling scared, and teach her how to control her emotions and hide her feelings – 'the way all rulers have to', he would say.

One particular bad night she was having terrible nightmares, again and again reliving in her dream that moment when she hurt Anna as they were playing. In the dream though, after Anna fell, she yelled and yelled – and nobody came.

Soon she started screaming in her sleep, and all of a sudden the entire palace started shaking like in a massive earthquake, sending shockwaves of cold destruction in all directions and causing tears up and down the walls, smashing windows and tearing off the walls.

The king of Arendelle, awakened by the rumbling and the falling debris, suddenly heard Elsa cry for help and immediately jumped out of his bed and ran straight out of the bedroom, evading the palace guards who were trying to get to him to protect him and see that he's unharmed.

He ran down the empty corridors as fast as he could, jumping and prancing to evade debris and falling ceiling tiles. In the corner of his eye he saw a palace guard in Anna's room, standing over her protectively, guarding her with his own life. He thought he noticed scared little Anna crying out for him as he passed by, but he knew he couldn't stop. The palace guards were given explicit instructions not to enter Princess Elsa's chambers, no matter what the circumstances. Elsa would be completely alone and unprotected.

As he reached her chambers and smashed the doors open with his shoulder, the first thing that hit him was the immense and immobilizing cold. The walls were frozen solid, the floor a pile snow and a cold mist of ice filling the air. In the middle of it all was Elsa's bed, with her still in it – tossing and turning on her back, eyes closed – screaming incoherently. Shockwaves of ice and freezing air were emanating out of here in all directions, hitting him like a cannonball every few seconds.

Realizing his daughter was caught in a dream and couldn't wake, he tried running to her side but found it extremely difficult to move; the air was cold and thick, and every move he made was met with immense resistance, every breath burning his lungs from within with intense cold, and every few seconds – those shockwaves were trying to throw him back.

But her father the King wouldn't falter.

He covered his face with his arms and approached Elsa's bedside step by painful step, finally reaching close enough to sit next to her and grab her. He pulled her up carefully and screamed her name, shaking her gently to wake her.

His skin was frozen solid as he touched hers and his chest was heavy, yet he persisted, until finally her eyes blew wide open, and she took in a huge breath, shivering with fear.

The vibrations and shockwaves suddenly stopped, and in the immediate silence you could still hear the ice crystalizing all through the castle.

Elsa stared at her father, looking deep into his eyes and seeing the pain and the terror he was in. She looked around and saw the cold and destruction around her, when suddenly she realized what had happened and flinched back, afraid she'd hurt him further. Her breath was still rapid and her eyes full of fear, Elsa continued shaking – not of the cold, but of the terrible nightmares she had awoken from and into.

The king in return just pulled her closer and held her strongly, laying her crying head on his shoulder, comforting her and calming her down.

"I_'m here, Elsa_" he whispered calmly, caressing her hair. "_I've got you, and I'm never letting go_".

Shivering, Elsa dug deep into his arms, pulling him close and slowly catching her breath. His chest pounded, and he himself started turning blue, as his breath started getting heavier and heavier. Elsa's frozen touch against his skin was almost too painful to bare, but he held on for as long as his little girl was still gripping him tight. He sat with her for several long minutes, until she finally calmed down and fell asleep with exhaustion, which was also when he succumbed to the pain and let go of his own senses, falling unconscious.

A while later it was the queen who entered the room and found them both unconscious. Realizing Elsa was just asleep she just put her back in her bed, but it was obvious that the king was badly injured - frostbites all over his skin and his entire body cold and stiff.

But he was still alive! She got to him just in the nick time.

The king's recovery was long, but he was saved, and more importantly to him – so was his daughter. He had neither fear nor regret, and would not hesitate to charge into the coldest of storms or through a burning inferno - if it meant saving his little girl from harm, physical or otherwise.

But Elsa never danced with him ever again.

* * *

"Well?" Anna sounded excited.

Elsa was completely lost in her own head and didn't even notice her sister coming out from behind the folding screen. "What do you think?"

The young queen turned and was struck with the vision of her sister's sleek and radiant physique in a beautiful white wedding dress. The long white skirt, not so wide that it would overshadow Anna's grace yet long and lush enough to completely engulf the entire lower half of her body, curved into a thick off-white corset that on any other woman would seem constricting but on the young princess fit as if it was molded in her own image (which it was), preserving her sporty and beautiful shape beneath the tightly stitched cloth.

The upper half of the dress was also decorated with different embroidered patterns of flowers and snowflakes - something on which Anna insisted, and which didn't go unnoticed by Elsa as she was examining the beautiful design.

The low neckline of the corset showed Anna's soft and freckly light skin, making it shine in contrast with the thicker fabric below it. The semi-transparent white shoulder straps went around the shoulders from the sides, not actually holding anything up but rather being more of an accessory, framing Anna's shoulders along with the rest of her bust, flowing unobstructed through her collarbones and up her soft and tender neck. That is also where Elsa's gaze met the young princess' wide and anticipating smile, her eyes lunging forward – proud and joyful.

Missing were Anna's usual pigtails, which were held up in an orange bun by a small silver tiara, as modest as it was exquisite.

Elsa wanted to tell her sister how beautiful she looked, but her breath escaped her several long moments ago and her lungs were struggling to make a sound that would overcome the beating of her heart. Instead she just locked her gaze into Anna's big and lively eyes, feeling the joy in her own, as her cheeks widened with a smile of pure love and amazement.

For once Anna was silent, just staring at her sister with a wide and content smile. Elsa realized that Anna – true to her usual self – wasn't looking for compliments. Anna never needed anyone's opinion but her own, and she just went through life projecting her light and good spirits into the world around her.

For a brief moment Elsa felt as if it was all just for her. Anna was sharing her beauty and joy with her, and it just tapped deep into something within Elsa's being, pulling out something unknown and unperceivable.

"Come on!" Anna suddenly lunged forward and took Elsa by the hand.

"Where are we going?" Elsa wondered as her sister dragged her out of the changing room and into the long hallways of Castle Arendelle.

Two guards snapped to attention outside in the hall, and one of them lost control of his jaw and gasped in amazement as Anna passed by in her stunning white wedding dress.

The second guard, veteran enough to remember little Anna running around those halls as a child causing mischief, just smiled. It was good to see beauty and joy in the castle again.

* * *

Anna pulled her sister into the ballroom, which seemed dark and deserted at that time of night. The furniture and chandeliers were covered with large gray sheets to protect them from dust, and it was so dark that Elsa kept tripping over random objects – much to Anna's amusement.

Elsa herself was pretty amused at her own clumsiness, and between giggling and trying to avoid obstacles, she managed to inquire "What are we doing here, Anna? It's pitch black!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Anna suddenly let go of Elsa's hand and ran to the window, pulling aside the long heavy drapes and revealing the huge windows. "I'm going to teach you how to dance!"

Through the majestic glass panes Elsa saw the castle walls, and behind them the towering mountains in the distance, mountains she once knew all too well. Above them, in the clear and dry skies hung a full moon, still low and big, emanating a pale blue glow, shining bright into the ballroom windows, casting its light directly onto the dance floor. A rectangular stage of light, and in the middle the young princess – her wedding dress shining in the moonlight, her cheek blushing pink in contrast with her vibrant orange hair.

Anna put one hand behind her back and bowed, raising her other hand towards Elsa in an inviting gesture, signaling her to take her hand. Elsa was frozen in place - caught with the beautiful image of her sister leaning towards her, lit only by the glowing moonlight, like something out of a dream.

"Well?" Anna gestured her to come forward, so Elsa finally obliged. Anna took Elsa's hand in her own positioned her other hand around Elsa's thin waist. Elsa, still a little flustered, suddenly realized she was a bit taller than her sister, which wouldn't work if Anna was going to lead the dance, so in a quick shake she kicked off her shoes and pushed them aside, lowering herself a bit to meet Anna's gaze.

They stood there for a second not moving, holding each other's hand in the air, standing so close Elsa could feel Anna's warm sweet breath on her skin.

"We're going to need some music", Elsa said gently, almost whispering. Her voice trembled a bit, and she figured she was just excited to dance again after all those years.

"We'll make our own" Anna said and started moving to the side, gently pulling her sister's tall and slick figure along with her to the rhythm of an imaginary waltz. With every step she took, Anna directed Elsa around the room, moving in and out of the lights and shadows of the silvery moon.

Elsa's bare feet glided smoothly against the soft carpet, and she slowly let her body loosen and flow along with her sister's rhythm. Before she knew it, she was hearing the music.

As they continued to dance slowly and gently in the empty moonlit ballroom, it was suddenly Elsa who was leading. Neither one of them noticed when the switch happened, but it felt as natural as walking. Elsa's stature returning to her once again, she suddenly felt taller as she squeezed Anna's tiny hands and held them in a tight and safe grip.

Anna, completely relaxed and hypnotized by the rhythm of the dance, closed her eyes and leaned into her sister, tightening the embrace. Holding Anna tight, Elsa's breath stopped for a moment as Anna lay her head on her shoulder. They were no longer moving sideways at that point but just rocking and turning gently in place, leaning against each other.

Something about Anna felt strangely familiar to Elsa - feeling the warmth of her embrace, never wanting to let go…

She was hers.

Elsa took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and suddenly she felt free.

She kept rocking gently with Anna tightly held in her arms, gently holding the back of her head, caressing her hair.

Her cheek pressed against Anna's hair, Elsa turned her head slightly and gave Anna's head a gentle kiss.

Suddenly a gust of wind passed through - like a ghost playfully running along the hallways, causing the crystal chandeliers to chime in a magical symphony of harps and bells. In the echo of the chimes Anna raised her head from Elsa's shoulder and stared directly at her very being. Standing directly in front of the big old windows, Anna's face was perfectly lit, the moonlight reflected in her big shimmering teal eyes.

Anna then closed her eyes once again, this time leaning her head directly against Elsa's. Elsa smiled, and their noses were so close that the gentle movement made them tickle each other, and they both lightly giggled.

Elsa tilted her head upwards and pursed her lips, feeling them brush against Anna's tiny nose ever so slightly. She let them stay there for a moment, before tilting her head back downwards until she felt Anna's silky soft lips, frozen in anticipation.

She wasn't sure if it was her own lips that trembled or Anna's, but the touch was so light that it sent shivers down her spine. She pursed her lips slowly, pushing against Anna's unmoving lips with anticipation, and for a split second her heart dropped – but after what seemed like an eternity Anna's lips suddenly responded, completely and devotedly.

As she kissed her sister's lips once more, Elsa suddenly felt relaxed. She felt comfortable and free like never before.

She stopped to revel in the moment while Anna, with her eyes still closed, placed her head back on Elsa's shoulder and took a deep and comfortable breath.

The queen of Arendelle felt more complete at that moment than she ever had before. But more than that – of all things - she felt _**proud**_.

"_I'm here, Anna_" she whispered calmly, caressing her hair. "_I've got you, and I'm never letting go._"


End file.
